A major milestone was announced this week in the conservation of one of Florida's native bird species. The Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission announced they'd released the 1,000th conservation-bred Florida grasshopper sparrow into the wild, part of a key effort to save the species from extinction. The thousandth bird was released alongside nine others at the Avon Park Air Force Range about two hours south of Orlando.
Florida grasshopper sparrows are a small, delicate bird that rarely exceeds five inches in length. They live in a confined area in south-central Florida that includes Glades, Highlands, Polk, Okeechobee, and Osceola counties. They feed on both plants and insects, acting as a predator to grasshoppers, beetles, moths, crickets, and other small bugs. Despite their name, they are not named for their diet of grasshoppers, but for their call which has been compared to the sound of a grasshopper in flight.
According to a release by FWC this week, the initiative to restore the Florida grasshopper sparrow's population is a cooperative effort with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, White Oak Conservation, Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, U.S. Air Force, and other partners. Those working on the project are hopeful their efforts can bring a gorgeous Floridian bird from ultra-rarity back to a healthy population. It may have already saved them from being lost altogether.
"The recovery and release program diverted the extinction of the Florida grasshopper sparrow," said Adrienne Fitzwilliam, the lead sparrow research scientist at the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. "The success of such a considerable effort has been possible due to continued collaboration."
The team began conducting releases in May 2019, when populations were at their lowest. Just a couple years prior, in 2017, the wild population of the Florida grasshopper sparrow was estimated to be at 50-60, making them one of the rarest birds in North America. Their population is now estimated to be in the triple digits, likely in large part due to FWC's release program. Threats to their population are said to be hatchlings eaten by fire ants (an invasive species), flooding, habitat loss, and competition for food with other invasive species.
"Learning how to breed Florida grasshopper sparrows in captivity, and then how to release them back into the landscape has taken a lot of experimenting - a lot of trial and error," said Larry Williams, Florida state supervisor with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. "We've gained incredible insight into the specific and nuanced needs of Florida grasshopper sparrow, and those insights are helping people around the country be more effective at bird conservation."
Though the usage of the Avon Park Air Force Range is a key component of the Florida grasshopper sparrow's recovery, it will take a more robust land conservation effort to properly ensure they have the habitat space to flourish and beat endangerment. "Conserving land is pivotal to saving the Florida grasshopper sparrow from extinction," said Andrew Walker, President & CEO of the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida. "These little birds represent a big beacon of hope that our commitment, partnership, and holistic approach can save vulnerable wildlife from the brink of extinction."
